SL vs NZ: Kane Williamson goes past Virat Kohli’s Test runs tally in Galle

Kane Willaimson (Twitter)

New Zealand got handed a crushing loss in the second Test of the two-match series against Sri Lanka, but there was a moment to rejoice for Kane Williamson during the second innings of the visitors on Day 3 of the game, which was played at the Galle International Stadium.

The second session of the day saw Williamson go past ace Indian batter, Virat Kohli, in the chart for the leading run-scorers in Test cricket. The first delivery of the 20th over bowled by debutant, Nishan Peiris, was punched away by Williamson through the cover region for a couple, taking Williamson from 36* to 38*. Completing the first run of the double meant Williamson eclipsing Kohli in the list, overtaking him to occupy the 19th position.

Kohli, playing his 115th Test at the moment, has 8871 runs to his name. Williamson (8881) has surpassed Kohli’s tally in 13 fewer Tests. He was soon dismissed for 46 by Peiris himself. The ongoing Test between India and Bangladesh has currently been halted due to a wet outfield. Kohli will have an opportunity to surpass Williamson as and when he gets his opportunity, if at all the game resumes in Kanpur.

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Comparison of performances between Williamson and Kohli in ongoing WTC 

Williamson and Kohli, both pivotal building blocks for their respective national sides, have had almost similar World Test Championship cycles when it comes to their respective average (50.46 vs 49).

Williamson has played a couple of matches more than Kohli in the 2023-25 cycle and has scored 757 runs in 12 innings. Meanwhile, Kohli has accounted for 392 runs under his belt in eight innings. Both of them have scored a couple of half-centuries, with Williamson scoring three more tons than Kohli.

Also Read: ‘Kohli needs to be in a good state of mind’ – Hanuma Vihari backs star batter to come good Down Under